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Nymphs
When a Priest or Priestess of the Green Man is anointed, part of the ritual includes transforming the human into a nymph. A nymph is imbued with a connection to nature, allowing them to experience the world around them more intimately. They are responsible for ushering in and guiding the Seasons of Ga'leah, minus Winter which resides with Elsa. History When the Green Man reclaimed the spirits of Spring, Summer, and Autumn, he held onto the energy until he gained his first human Priests and Priestesses. The spirits were transferred to their human hosts, forever changing them at a biological level. To prevent this power from corrupting their new hosts as they had their predecessors, the combined power operates in a collective source. No matter which temple the Priest or Priestess belongs to, all are connected to the same figurative power reservoir. Only the High Priest and Priestess are able to draw from the reservoir to anoint/welcome a new Priest or Priestess into nymph life. All nymphs are able to feel what the others are feeling through this connection/nature sense, which the Green Man incorporated as a way to foster unity and empathy among his devout followers. When a nymph dies, their body returns to human form and the residual energy returns to the reservoir. There is no max for how many nymphs can be created but the more nymphs there are, the less power each individual has. However, there is a minimum that must be kept in order to ensure the existing Priests and Priestesses don’t become too greedy with power. It is up to the High Priest and Priestess to ensure greed is not a factor in choosing new nymphs. Culture Nymphs are social and thrive on interactions with those outside their temples. Since they were human once, the individual’s response will vary on how social they are. Due to the connection they share with nature, each other, and their God, they are welcoming and often accommodating to their guests. Approach them with aggression or hostility, however, and they will return the negativity without hesitation. Although they are priests and priestesses, they are not bound to any one temple. In truth, they prefer to spend their time tending the forests and perhaps even the countryside, depending on how much that particular nymph wishes to venture away from the shade and comfort of the canopy of trees. Noble families have been known to 'encourage' their excess children, primarily daughters, to attain priesthood in hopes of them becoming nymphs so their crops, farmlands, and gardens may receive the continued blessing of the Green Man. Characteristics Nymphs have a limited glamour ability that allows them to appear as their original human self in case they need to leave the temple and want to blend in with their neighboring humans. The ‘nymph’ appearance varies from individual to individual, but all nymphs bleed sap and have a slight green tinge to their skin. Nymphs may have their veins show through their skin like ivy, have ivy or flowers growing out of their skin or in place of their head-hair, and/or have other plant-like traits. The High Priest and Priestess have the most pronounced natural forms, and some have been known to root themselves in the ground through their feet so they appear as trees with faces during their visits to other Temples. The plant traits of a nymph will change with the seasons, but a nymph’s vitality will not be affected by the cycle. During the winter months, the nymph’s plant attributes will be in stasis between Autumn and Spring due to the lack of the spirit of Winter in their power reservoir. It is only when a nymph is on the verge of death that their plant attributes will reflect the aspect of Winter. The nymph’s plant attributes will also change to reflect their moods. Reproduction Nymphs can only be created via ritual of becoming an Anointed. Children of nymphs will be born the species of the other parent. Abilities Note: These abilities are also stated on the Priesthood entry of the Wiki. Nymphs are gifted with the ability to commune with nearby plant life and feel what they feel through an ability called Nature Sense. This leads to a heightened sense of environmental awareness and a higher detection of when things are out of balance with nature. Nymphs are capable of Plant Bending, the ability to manipulate and grow plant life from their fingertips. The High Priests and Priestess have their connection to nature further enhanced to the point they are able to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ what nearby plant life is experiencing, called Green Speaking. They can manipulate plants with more ease than an Anointed can. Every nymph has an earthy scent, but the scent may vary depending on the mood or intent of the nymph. They are gifted with the ability to manipulate pheromones (Aromatherapy), which stems into being used for meditation to causing hallucinations. If a plant has certain properties, a nymph can mimic those traits through pheromones. The level of plant biology varies from individual to individual and from Anointed to High Priest/ess, but every nymph has some degree of photosynthetic blood. So long as they are exposed to sunlight, they do not require food to sustain themselves and will have an accelerated rate of healing towards minor injuries. If a Priest/ess wishes to partake in food, it must be of vegetation in honor of their Vow to the Green Man. The High Priest and Priestess are capable of using their blood as a healing agent, similar to how tree sap is used in many healing salves. Weaknesses Nymphs can live up to 300 years before dying of old age. They are invulnerable to many human diseases but have limited accelerated healing for injuries. While nymphs have bark-like skin and limited accelerated healing through their sap-blood, they are still vulnerable to many of the same kinds of injuries as humans are. They cannot regrow limbs like some plant species are capable of, and they have a great vulnerability to fire. Due to their photosynthetic nature, a nymph requires sunlight (or even moonlight) and water to survive. Trap a nymph away from its group, from light or water, and it will wither and die like any plant will. Category:Species